LUSAKA: Zambia has awarded three regional and international companies a total of 120 megawatts (MW) of solar power projects, a senior government official said on Friday.

The respected Africa Confidential has revealed that talks are underway for a Chinese company to takeover power utility ZESCO. And Africa Confidential has warned that Zambia risks losing its sovereignty to China as that country will seize national assets once government defaults on loans.

The Hilton hotel has opened the newly refurbished development Society Business Park on Cairo road in Lusaka, Zambia. The 20-floor mixed-use park, which also houses Hilton Garden Inn, was part of a public-private partnership agreement between Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) and the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) in 2011.

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday met with Zambian President Edgar Lungu ahead of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The World Bank is set to unlock $600 million for an infrastructure project to facilitate trade in East and Central Africa and provide an alternative route to the sea for Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

AgDevCo announced a pair of agribusiness investments last week for a combined total of $6.55 million. The precise terms and structure of both deals were not disclosed.

In apparent show of confidence, some foreign investors have bought 2.3 per cent stake in Dangote Cement Plc for N86.1 billion ($236 million). The sale involved 416 million shares that was consummated in six off market deals on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Tuesday. This is the third time foreign investors are buying into Dangote Cement, where Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has a controlling stake.

Zambia mining investment arm in conjunction with China’s Sinoconst is set to construct a US$ 548m cement plant so as to help diversify the economy to reduce reliance on copper mining in the country.

The government of Zimbabwe and Sakunda Holdings signed a $478 million agreement with CBZ Bank, Barclays and Ecobank to finance agricultural activities during the 2017-18 summer season, Reuters reported. Maize and soya production are mainly concerned.

Falling under China's broader pledge to spend $60 billion in Africa over the next three years, the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) has begun construction of a $2.3 billion railway linking Eastern and Northern Zambia. The network will be 388km long when complete.